1 When Yahweh your God shall cut off the nations, whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses; 2 you shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you to possess it. 3 You shall prepare you the way, and divide the borders of your land, which Yahweh your God causes you to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there. 4 This is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee there and live: whoever kills his neighbor unawares, and didn't hate him in time past; 5 as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on his neighbor, so that he dies; he shall flee to one of these cities and live: 6 lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he didn't hate him in time past. 7 Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for yourselves. 8 If Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers; 9 if you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you this day, to love Yahweh your God, and to walk ever in his ways; then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, besides these three: 10 that innocent blood not be shed in the midst of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, and so blood be on you. 11 But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities; 12 then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you. 14 You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God gives you to possess it. 15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established. 16 If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17 then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days; 18 and the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother; 19 then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother: so you shall put away the evil from the midst of you. 20 Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of you. 21 Your eyes shall not pity; life (shall go) for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Three cities of refuge to be appointed in the midst of the promised land; the land being divided into three parts, a city is to be placed in each, a proper way to which is to be prepared, Deuteronomy 19:1-3. In what cases of manslaughter the benefit of those cities may be claimed, Deuteronomy 19:4-6. Three cities more to be added should the Lord enlarge their coasts, and the reasons why, Deuteronomy 19:7-10. The intentional murderer shall have no benefit from these cities, Deuteronomy 19:11-13. The landmark is not to be shifted, Deuteronomy 19:14. One witness shall not be deemed sufficient to convict a man, Deuteronomy 19:15. How a false witness shall be dealt with - he shall bear the punishment which he designed should have been inflicted on his neighbor, Deuteronomy 19:16-20. Another command to establish the lex talionis, Deuteronomy 19:21.
INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 19
This chapter contains an order to separate three cities of refuge in the land of Canaan, for such that killed a man unawares to flee to, of which those who were guilty of murder purposely were to have no benefit, Deuteronomy 19:1, a law is given against removing landmarks, Deuteronomy 19:14, and others concerning witnesses, that they should be more than one; be two, or three, Deuteronomy 19:15, and that a false witness, on conviction, should be punished, Deuteronomy 19:16.
(Deuteronomy 19:1-13) The cities of refuge, The man-slayer, The murderer.
(Deuteronomy 19:14) Landmarks not to be removed.
(Deuteronomy 19:15-21) The punishment of false witnesses.
Laws Concerning the Cities of Refuge, the Sacredness of Landmarks,and the Punishment of False Witnesses - Deuteronomy 19
After laying down the most important features in the national constitution, Moses glances at the manifold circumstances of civil and family life, and notices in this and the two following chapters the different ways in which the lives of individuals might be endangered, for the purpose of awakening in the minds of the people a holy reverence for human life.
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.